A Space to Read, Reflect, and Stay at the Table: Join Our 2026 Thursday Reading Group
As we move into the opening months of 2026, the CCSW Regional Ministry staff is creating space for something both simple and meaningful: a weekly Thursday Reading Group focused on conversation, reflection, and faithful application.
Beginning in January, we will gather online via Zoom each Thursday at 12:00 PM Central / 11:00 AM Mountain for no more than one hour. These gatherings are open to all—clergy and lay leaders alike—and are designed to be accessible, thoughtful, and grounded in the realities of our shared ministry contexts.
This is not a lecture series or a class with assignments to turn in. Instead, it is an invitation to read alongside one another, to listen deeply, and to reflect honestly on how God is at work in and among us.
What We’ll Be Reading
We will begin our time together with Holy Disruption by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler and Rev. Dr. Dawn Darwin Weaks. This book invites readers to consider how disruption—while often uncomfortable—can be a holy and necessary part of faithful leadership and communal life. Over several weeks, we’ll sit with the text, share insights, and explore how its themes resonate within our congregations and communities.
Following Holy Disruption, we will turn to Staying at the Table by Rev. Dr. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This book calls us to imagine a church rooted in love, honesty, and courage—a church willing to remain present even when conversations are difficult and the work feels demanding.
Together, these readings invite us to consider leadership, faithfulness, and community in ways that are deeply relevant to this moment in the life of the church.
How the Reading Group Works
Thursdays | 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT
Zoom-based gathering
No more than one hour
Open to all
Come every week or join when you’re able
Each session will include time to discuss the assigned reading, reflect together, and consider how the themes connect to our lived experiences and ministry contexts. There is no expectation that participants will have all the answers—only a willingness to show up and engage thoughtfully.
The same Zoom link will be used each week, making it easy to drop in as your schedule allows.
Why a Reading Group?
In a time when many of us feel stretched thin, isolated, or pulled in multiple directions, this reading group offers a gentle but intentional rhythm. It is a chance to slow down, to engage meaningful ideas in community, and to remember that we are not navigating these questions alone.
Whether you are leading a congregation, serving in a ministry role, or simply seeking space for thoughtful conversation, we hope this reading group will be a place of connection, curiosity, and encouragement.
Join Us
We invite you to read with us, reflect with us, and stay at the table together.
Full reading schedule and Zoom information can be found on the CCSW website. If you’d like to receive reminder emails before each session, you can sign up there as well.
We look forward to gathering with you in the new year.